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Ideas for using fabric Trims?


mininecessities

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I have tons of nice fabric trims, thick ones too......that I am wondering if there is a way to make them look more like wood? I thought about painting them, that should stiffen them, and put a sealer.

I will have to experiment but any hints and tips are always much appreciated. I use to pick them up all the time when sales were going on or at yard sales or second hand stores......I have a lot of them. I will never use them all in sewing.......I would want to make them look like wood though for a better look on the house.

I did see a white orchid someone did in the members gallery that was all white and done like ice. Now there you could use the trims for sure.....and the fabric looks great that way.

anyway I am just thinking out loud I guess or I mean typing out loud? no that isn't right. well you get the picture

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I can hear you thinking clear over here in Oregon :) And, I think you're being fantastically creative. I just saw the cutest project. Someone took the right lace, stiffened it?, spray painted? it gold and turned it upside down and made a princess crown. Very cute. For you, what about fabric glue as a 'base coat'? Then, if you paint it and glue it to something it should work. Good luck and great idea!

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I can hear you thinking clear over here in Oregon :) And, I think you're being fantastically creative. I just saw the cutest project. Someone took the right lace, stiffened it?, spray painted? it gold and turned it upside down and made a princess crown. Very cute. For you, what about fabric glue as a 'base coat'? Then, if you paint it and glue it to something it should work. Good luck and great idea!

Great idea! As the fabric glue would help keep it from being so absorbent ..ie take less paint.......ie give the paint a better foundation ! yeah good idea!

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I used a lot of trims and heavy lace on my Russian cottage. It still is not finished but there are a lot of entries on my blog on how I did it. Are you using it for house trim or furniture? If you have a lot, how about a little experimenting? I am wondering if dipping it in minwax wood stain would do the trick? I do canvas baskets that way. Simply dip them in quickly and take off most of it with a paper towel. the baskets take on the look of wood or reeds.

I don't stiffin the trim first. I simply painted it. Then when it dried, it was still easy to manipulate around curves if I didn't want a straight line.

If you want to see the Russian cottage, just poke "my blog changes daily". Then hit Russian cottage, under the labels section on the side bar. The ones on how I actually did it are on the second page. Just hit older posts at the bottom of the first page.

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Cute ideas! I used ribbon, as I said in another thread, for a stair runner and I have covered half scale furniture with some fabric ribbon. Like Holly, I have used it for trim or a chair rail. My favorite is to use ribbon or lace trim for curtains or valances. No need to sew or hem anything, just cut and glue.

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Wa-a-a-a-ay back in the day, when ceramics was THE big hobby, we used to make ceramic and porcelain dolls with lace and fabric skirts.

There were 2 methods. One used a clay slip type product and the final firing included the lace coated with the slip and fired together. It wasn't the most reliable outcome in the world though. They looked similar to this one.

post-2708-0-33443600-1379600768_thumb.jp

The second method used a fabric stiffener and it was applied after the final firing with a glue product. You can see the difference in the post firing applications.

post-2708-0-73686800-1379600841_thumb.jppost-2708-0-56116500-1379600846_thumb.jp

Products have changed since the 1970's and I'm not sure what they all are now. I did a quick search and found things that look similar to what I remember using.

Fabric stiffener available at Michaels and then there is this Textile Hardener .

The porcelain slip was something we used at the ceramic studio. You'd need to be planning on firing the piece so unless you have your own kiln or know someone that does, this probably isn't how you'd do it today.

For fun, I found a link to the Fabric Crowns that Morgan mentioned.

So for miniatures, we have many options from Casey's painting methods to stiffening before to straight glue it on and I'm sure many more. Good luck!!

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If you paint any fabric trim with regular craft paint, it makes it. look like wood. I used fabric trim as crown molding for my Beacon Hill and I regret not painting it after I used the trim again to make "icing" on a gingerbread themed dollhouse and realized that when I painted the trim, it looked like fancy wood.

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Selkie, I've admired the pretty ceramic dolls with lace dresses and skirts my whole life,but had no idea it was real lace! I don't know how I thought it was done,as I was never into ceramic-making,but it's so nice to know it's real lace! Very cool! I learn something new here every day,I'm tellin' ya! :D

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